Dedicated to Dairy

 

Ryan and I just returned from the annual meeting of our dairy cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America in Kansas City,Missouri. The theme, Dedicated to Dairy, was a perfect description of the people attending the meeting.  Dairy farmers are committed to producing safe, high-quality milk that is consumed on family tables around the world. Our dairy cooperative is just as dedicated to making sure that from the moment milk leaves our farm, it is processed and delivered to consumers with the focus on safety and the needs of the families who will consume our dairy products. 

 

 

 In a hallway going to the meeting room was  a great display of all the different brands of milk and dairy products produced by our farmer members. I loved this display of all the different brands of milk sold across the country because it represents the fact that  no matter  where you live or buy your milk--you and I  can purchase safe, high-quality milk for just pennies on the dollar because of the dedication of every member in the dairy industry.

 

                   Milk is always a  nutritional bargain because it supplies nine essential nutrients

                             including calcium, vitamin D, protein, vitamin A, and potassium.

 

 

 

 

Dairy Farmers of America Party

One of my favorite meetings to attend as a member of Dairy Farmers of America cooperative is the Summer Information Meeting held in Springfield, Missouri. As we left the farm this morning headed to the meeting,  it was drizzling rain  and overcast--perfect conditions for a farmer to leave the farm and not feel guilty about what we could be doing if it were hot and sunny!

This meeting is a mixture of fun and business with lots of children attending with their families, information booths filled with dairy farm specific information and the availability of all the milk and ice cream bars you can eat before, during and after the meeting. It's always a place of reunion with old dairy farmer friends that may or may not still be in the business.

We're proud to be one of more than 8,000 farm family members of Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative. Here are some facts about our cooperative:

• We represent 1/3 of the total United States milk production.
• 61 billion pounds of milk are produced annually by cooperative members.
• We own 31 diversified  manufacturing facilities that include dairy products, food components, and ingredients.
• High-quality milk  is produced on all sizes of farms across America.
• We are a leader in formulating and packaging shelf stable products.

After being filled with information and  a delicious lunch , we   topped off the party  with  M&M ice cream cookies and in a glorious rainy day in July,   headed to  the Ozark Empire Fair with our complimentary tickets to continue our party.

That's my kind of farmer  party!

"Blue Q.Red Chek" Quality

While running errands this morning, I spotted the Hiland Dairy truck making a delivery to a local coffee shop. Seeing the truck reminded me of a question that I was recently asked while giving a tour of our dairy farm--Where do we sell our milk? As members of Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative, our milk is marketed and sold by the cooperative. Our milk actually goes to the Hiland Dairy plant in Fayetteville for bottling. If you buy Hiland Dairy milk, you may be drinking milk from our farm or another family dairy farm in our area.

Hiland Dairy actually started in 1938 in Springfield,Missouri, by two men and a fifty cow dairy herd. The Hiland business was sold to Prairie Farms Dairy,Inc. and Dairy Farmers of America,Incorporated, in 1979. Currently, Hiland has eight manufacturing plants located in Missouri,Nebraska,Oklahoma,Kansas and Arkansas. Hiland's wide variety of dairy products are endorsed with the Quality Chekd trademark (the "Blue Q.Red Chek") that assures consumers are getting the best in fresh,wholesome and delicious dairy foods.

You can find more information about Hiland Dairy, great recipes, and coupons at http://www.hilanddairy.com/. It takes quality milk for quality dairy products--from our farm to your table!

Value Added Investment for Dairy Farmers

While waiting to attend our Dairy Farmers of America cooperative summer information luncheon meeting, I was gathering information provided by different vendors about new products we can use on the farm, dairy promotion materials, and newly developed dairy products. As a dairy farmer that produces milk for consumers, I find it fascinating to learn about new products that our dairy cooperative is developing to meet consumer needs and requests. With no breakfast and just before lunch, I enjoyed sampling the new cheese spreads that are being introduced into markets across the country!

Janine Smiley,who works in the Global Dairy Products Group division of our cooperative, kept busy as she gave explanation about the new products and provided samples for us to enjoy. Developing and testing new food products, manufacturing and marketing consumer brand name products and marketing ingredients such as nonfat dry milk powder are handled within this division. You can find more information about our cooperative and our products at http://www.dfamilk.com/.

Dairy Farmers of America products are sold in every state and exported globally. Those products represent a farmer owned cooperative with 16,000 members across America. As one of those members, I appreciate what our cooperative is doing to develop,manufacture and market dairy products for all of our members and consumers.

True Dairy Gals

Yesterday we traveled to Springfield,Missouri, to attend our Dairy Farmers of America Cooperative summer information meeting. Members from Arkansas,Missouri, and Oklahoma met to receive updates about our cooperative's business and the challenges we face in the dairy industry. It is also a very social and fun time for the entire family. The minute you walk in the door, you can find all kinds of free ice cream bars and milk mingled with information booths about dairy promotion,new dairy products and services that are available from our cooperative.

We look forward to this event because it allows us an opportunity to visit with other dairy farm families that we don't see at any other time. For the last thirty years, Mrs. Betty Clark from Arkansas has been attending these summer information meetings with her daughters and granddaughter. It is definitely a family affair for three generations of true dairy gals that have grown up on the dairy and continue the family dairy tradition on their own farms. Each year the gals wear shirts with the True Dairy Gal label. After the meeting, you may find them together at the Ozark Fair or shopping at the local mall. Where ever you find them, they will be having a good time!

These True Dairy Gals represent not only the commitment that it takes from the family farm to produce safe,high quality milk and dairy products, but also the importance of family to each farming operation for multiple generations!